The Sundering of Equestria - A Future History

The World Empire Arrives

The World Empire’s expeditionary force arrived at Horseshoe Bay at the beginning of autumn, 1039LB. To the amazement of both the ambassadors and the locals, this ‘minor’ expeditionary force from a mere three Provinces numbered approximately 500,000 soldiers. This is not including vehicles and artillery crews, precise numbers for which are unavailable.

Although this may seem an impossibly large number (and previous historians have long disputed its likelihood of being the true number), the administrators of the World Empire are renowned amongst historians for their accuracy and precise detail, and – since sources from their side give this figure – 500,000 seems to have been the actual strength of this force. Also, if one considers that not all these troops were active military personnel (the expeditionary force almost certainly included military administrators and those who worked in the processing units, for example), then this number becomes much more reasonable.

Furthermore, a local witnesses described a “great wall of iron ships… stretching from horizon to horizon” approaching Horseshoe Bay, and “endless numbers of stallions in pale grey uniform” disembarking once the fleet arrived. Other local sources give various other poetic over-exaggerations, all on the same theme of great numbers of troops. When one also considers the World Empire’s view of ‘more is better’, applied in almost every aspect of Imperial society, then it seems likely that there were, indeed, half a million Imperial soldiers on Equestrian soil in the autumn of 1039LB.

In overall command of this force was Ambassador-General Doctrinaire, an old pony with a great deal of battle experience, although exactly where he gained this experience is unknown (the pony recording this information makes a reference to another, much older Imperial source, which, as a Saddle Arabian and therefore not part of the Empire, I have been unable to acquire). His rank, although it sounds unusual, is a common one in the World Empire; it signifies that Doctrinaire had diplomatic authority as well as military command.

Amongst his many, many officers was one Captain Staid – later Colonel Staid – who would eventually become one of the war’s most famous personalities, particularly in the World Empire. He would also be at the centre of one of the Sundering of Equestria’s greatest mysteries.

The Ambassador-General’s first order to his troops was to establish a ‘peace zone’. Supposedly this was done in order to identify and hedge out any hostile soldiers or anarchists, but in effect Doctrinaire’s orders were to take over the entire area immediately around Horseshoe Bay. Fortunately, the local towns had remained mostly neutral throughout the previous years of conflict, not siding openly with either Old Equestria or the Republic, and considered the war mostly a distant problem. There was therefore no struggle between the towns’ residents and the Imperial troops, who now declared themselves to be in charge “over and above any local or national authority”. The locals were then processed without much trouble – it therefore seems reasonable to assume that none of them were Discordians – and were allowed to remain in their homes mostly undisturbed.

Imperial Diplomacy

The ambassadorial delegations from the other factions, upon seeing Imperial troops marching through the streets, peaceably requested the foreign troops to take them to their commander. Having expected representatives from the local factions to come forth, Doctrinaire agreed to see them but, much to the annoyance of all three delegations, he insisted that he speak with all three at the same time, on board the expeditionary force’s flagship, HIMS Command.

What followed, as many historians have commented, was more akin to a court hearing than a diplomatic meeting. The three delegations were forced to argue their point of view and righteousness of their cause against one another, ‘adjudicated’ by the Ambassador-General. An Imperial device known as a Phonograph – an old piece of Imperial technology that used wax cylinders to record and replay sound – was present during the proceedings, and recorded the entire meeting. Transcribed here in its entirety, with a small amount of historical deduction in the form of edited notes, is that recording.

[Scratching noise]

Unnamed adjutant: The Phonograph is recording, sir.

Doctrinaire: Excellent. [Clears throat] Speaking now is Ambassador-General Doctrinaire of the Imperial expeditionary force to Equestria, and official representative of the World Empire in Equestria. I speak with the full authority of the Emperor. Starting on my far left, could the speakers of the three parties please state their names and roles.

Lacklustre: [Hesitates, possibly due to being unfamiliar with Imperial technology] Ambassador Lacklustre, speaking on behalf of the War Council of the New Lunar Republic.

De Auvin: Ambassador Austin De Auvin, servant of the High King. I speak on behalf of the twelve rulers of the Griffon Kingdoms.

Cloutus: I am Ambassador Cloutus, and I speak with the authority of Her Highness Princess Celestia, one true ruler of Equestria. And furthermore I do not recognise the authority of this so-called Republic; I demand you remove this charlatan at once-

Doctrinaire: [Amidst angry shouts, presumably from the Republic delegation] Be silent! The World Empire has not yet recognised any of your leaders as having a legitimate claim to ruling this country; that is what this enquiry is here to decide.

Lacklustre: ‘Enquiry’?

Doctrinaire: I will begin the proceedings with the obvious. Ambassador Lacklustre, I am aware that your War Council initiated a revolution against Equestria’s erstwhile ruler, Princess Celestia. While the World Empire does not condone revolutionary action, I am aware that there were some mitigating circumstances. Please describe for me, as concisely as possible, your Council’s motives for initiating this action.

Lacklustre: Well… [Pause, possible shuffling of paper] Ambassador, the revolution was not a prearranged, deliberate action. It was a popular movement by the ponies of Equestria – the War Council is merely a collection of the most prominent political revolutionaries that we have allowed, by popular consent, to lead and organise the revolutionary effort.

[Angry mutterings, most likely from Cloutus]

Doctrinaire: I see. And what was this ‘popular movement’ a reaction to?

Lacklustre: The harsh and oppressive rule of the Solar Tyrant-

[Uproar as several voices begin to argue vehemently. Somepony, presumably Doctrinaire, bangs his hoof on the table to restore silence]

Doctrinaire: Please keep opinions out of this, Ambassador Lacklustre. We already have some examples of what Princess Celestia has done to her people, recorded by our agents in previous years. Ambassador Cloutus, do you have any justification for your monarch’s actions prior to the revolution?

Cloutus: Discordians, Ambassador. Eight years ago, an assassin hired by a Discordian cell killed our beloved Princess Twilight Sparkle-

Lacklustre: That was never proven! [An argument breaks out in the background, presumably between the Old Equestrians and the Republicans. Lacklustre speaks louder] We in the Republic know the truth! The Solar Tyrant arranged the whole thing!

Doctrinaire: Silence! [Silence] Ambassador Cloutus, please continue – and please stick to confirmable facts. As I have said, there is no room for opinion or unnecessary emotion in this enquiry.

Cloutus: Well then, as I was saying… after the assassination, the Discordian cells began to orchestrate protests and demonstrations against Princess Celestia, playing on the greed, jealousy and other base motives of the common ponies to gain support for their cause. The Princess’ crackdowns may have been harsh, but they were no harsher than was necessary. And you have my personal assurance, Ambassador-General, that nopony was executed that wasn’t proven guilty as a Discordian in a court of law.

Doctrinaire: Ambassador Lacklustre, do you have something you wish to say?

Lacklustre: Indeed I do! Ambassador Cloutus is speaking complete rubbish! For one thing, that last statement of his is a complete lie! And- and besides, there’s no evidence that the Discordians were behind any of this!

Doctrinaire: No, Ambassador Cloutus, you will remain silent. Please continue, Ambassador Lacklustre.

Lacklustre: Thank you. You see, the Republic believes – as do I – that Celestia’s attack on Discordianism was nothing more than an excuse to gain more power and seize wealth from the people. The Discordians are merely harmless scapegoats who have never intended any harm to anypony, selected by Celestia as an easy target because of their outlandish ways. And furthermore-

Doctrinaire: One moment, Ambassador. Could you please repeat that last sentence?

Lacklustre: Um… may I ask why?

Doctrinaire: Just for the record. If you would be so kind?

Lacklustre: As you wish. [Clears throat] The Discordians are merely harmless scapegoats who have never intended any harm to anypony-

Doctrinaire: Hmm, I suspected as much from the moment you walked into the room. Guards, Ambassador Lacklustre has been infected. Arrest the entire Republic delegation and take them to the industrial processing unit. Kill them immediately if they resist.

Lacklustre: What? Processing? [Sounds of movement and ponies struggling] But I’m a diplomat – I have immunity! You can’t-!

[Sounds of indecipherable shouts and hoof-steps, the latter presumably of the guards. Sounds of what are most likely bodies being forcibly dragged out of the room, followed by a door being closed]

Doctrinaire: For the record, Ambassador Lacklustre and his delegation have been removed from the room following suspected Discordian infection, and have been taken to the nearest re-education facility for processing. And, as per Imperial policy, the evidence and arguments submitted by the infected party must be considered null and void, to avoid intellectual contamination.

Cloutus: [Clears throat] Does this mean then that Princess Celestia is to be recognised as the legitimate ruler of Equestria?

Doctrinaire: The enquiry has not yet decided on that, Ambassador. Nevertheless, based on the remaining admissible evidence, we must assume that the emergence of the New Lunar Republic is somehow connected to the emergence of Discordianism here in Equestria. The War Council of the Republic is hereby declared unfit to rule, pending processing.

De Auvin: Ambassador-General, if the previous incident is now over, may I be allowed to say my piece?

Doctrinaire: Indeed, Ambassador. Your patience and calm composure reflects well on both your Kingdoms and your own person. But before you speak your piece, I have a question.

De Auvin: As you wish. What is your question?

Doctrinaire: Ambassador De Auvin, upon my arrival in Equestria I was informed that your country, the Griffon Kingdoms, had unlawfully and without provocation invaded these domains. How do you intend to defend these actions?

De Auvin: Are you aware of the history and relationship between my country and Equestria, Ambassador?

Doctrinaire: Indeed I am, and I assume you are referring to the ancient feud between your two countries. Is this feud the Griffon Kingdoms’ sole motive for this unlawful activity?

De Auvin: The feud is the common Griffon’s motives for supporting the invasion, yes, but I can assure you it is not the motive of the Twelve Kings.

[Cloutus mutters something. Presumably it is derogatory or insulting, because De Auvin responds with a short ‘hm’ noise. Doctrinaire does not appear to hear]

De Auvin: My country’s true motives are, I believe, much the same as yours, Ambassador. It is the intention of the Griffon Kingdoms to restore order to Equestria.

Cloutus: What?!

Doctrinaire: Ambassador Cloutus, for the last time, do not interrupt! Ambassador De Auvin, you may continue.

De Auvin: Thank you. You must understand; the people of the Griffon Kingdoms are not as… emotionally-motivated as the people of Equestria. It has spared our land from the blight of the Changeling Swarm, who prefer to feed on our emotionally malleable neighbours instead-

Doctrinaire: [Quietly aside, while De Auvin speaks] Adjutant, make a note to investigate these ‘Changelings’ I keep hearing about.

De Auvin: - and now from the dangers of Discordianism, which, I must confess, our people had not even heard of until a few months ago. I can say with a great deal of certainty that it has not, ah, ‘infected’ the Griffon Kingdoms. In seeing the current state of Equestria, our leaders merely wish to… correct the failings of our neighbours.

Doctrinaire: Hmm. This is good news, Ambassador. It’s clear to me that the World Empire and the Griffon Kingdoms have no quarrel with one another.

[Grumpy-sounding noise, most likely from Cloutus]

De Auvin: I take it then that you have no objection to the Griffon presence in Equestria?

[Pause]

Doctrinaire: That is not the case. The mission of the World Empire in this country is to restore order and unity to Equestria, at any cost. While we are appreciative of your attempts to do the same, Ambassador De Auvin, it would be best for the Griffons to withdraw from Equestria. There is no need to risk Discordian infection amongst your soldiers, and we wish to avoid any instances in which one of our parties gets under the others’ hooves – or claws.

De Auvin: I see.

Doctrinaire: After this operation is over, it is my sincere hope for good relations between our two countries. Please pass this message on to your leaders.

Cloutus: So, Ambassador-General, does this mean that Princess Celestia is being recognised as the legitimate ruler of Equestria?

Doctrinaire: No. Ambassador Cloutus, please tell your Princess that she and her government have fifteen days to surrender her forces to the World Empire and submit both herself and her people to Imperial processing. After we have completed our operation here, and if the Princess is found clean of infection, then the World Empire will restore her to her previous position as the ruler of Equestria.

Cloutus: …And if we refuse?

Doctrinaire: Then we will consider that a declaration of war against the World Empire, and I will act accordingly. Likewise, Ambassador De Auvin, the armies of the Griffon Kingdoms have fifteen days in which to declare their intentions to withdraw.

De Auvin: I take it that, if the Kings’ Council should also refuse, the World Empire will declare war on the Griffon Kingdoms as well?

Doctrinaire: That would only be fair. But it is the hope of both myself and the Empire that your two parties will see reason and make good on these requests. The World Empire seeks only to quell Discordianism and prevent its spread – there is no need to make this expedition’s duty any harder than it already is. I hope I have made the Empire’s position clear.

[Pause]

Doctrinaire: If none of the representatives have anything further to say, then I hereby declare this enquiry over. Long live the Emperor.

World Empire Guards and Adjutants: [As one] Long live the Emperor.

[Scratching noise]

The Messengers Return

Neither Cloutus nor De Auvin had achieved what they their leaders had desired. They returned, escorted by still-technically-neutral Imperial soldiers, to their respective territories.

Upon hearing of Doctrinaire’s request, Princess Celestia was supposedly so filled with rage and indignation that she struck down the luckless Ambassador Cloutus where he stood. While there is some debate as to whether this actually happened (another source tells us that Cloutus died several days after his return, from a sudden illness), Celestia was indeed furious. Knowing of the Empire’s love for rules and order, she had expected the World Empire to support her – the legitimate ruler of Equestria – against the rebels, but was almost astonished by their apparently single-minded focus on controlling the Discordian ‘outbreak’. Despite protests from the rest of her government, Celestia refused to surrender to the Empire and submit to their ‘processing’. She sent orders to her generals in the other cities under her control to treat the Imperial forces as hostiles, and to fight them as fiercely as they would the forces of the revolution.

Austin De Auvin’s return caused somewhat more debate in the Griffon Kingdoms. The Kings’ Council met to discuss their next actions. The rulers of the Griffon Kingdoms eventually concluded that the World Empire was too focused on “whoever these Discordian-things are” (to quote the words of Queen Sotte) to worry much about the Griffon invasion of Equestria. Besides, they told each other, since there was absolutely no risk of anarchy suddenly ‘breaking out’ amongst their own forces (the idea of anarchy as a disease being laughable to them), it seemed unlikely that the Imperial forces would go out of their way to fight them. After Doctrinaire had done whatever it was he was here to do, it was decided, the Griffon Kingdoms could send another ambassador and make peace, hopefully keeping hold of whatever land they’d grabbed in the meantime.

The reaction of the War Council of the New Lunar Republic was one of great consternation. They received their reply slightly later than the other two factions, and in the form of not their ambassador, but a squad of “ten mechanical ponies… Their bodies were made of dull grey metal, and when they moved they spouted steam from every joint, as though fuelled by a roaring fire that stood in place of their hearts.”

These were not actual automatons, of course, but merely members of the World Empire’s elite fighting regiment – the Iron Guard. Equipped with mechanical suits of armour and driven by the Imperial invention of steam-power (small engines were attached to these ponies’ backs, like saddles), they would have indeed resembled some kind of mechanical marvel to the technologically-backward Equestrians of the time. Most historians agree, however, that the Iron Guard were not the strangest sort of soldier at the World Empire’s disposal, as Equestria would soon discover.

The message delivered to the War Council was similar to the one given to Celestia; the New Lunar Republic had fifteen days in which to announce their surrender to the World Empire and submit to processing. Refusal would result in a declaration of war. Shocked by the Empire’s consideration of the apparently-harmless Discordians (and their own ambassador) as a threat to civilisation, as well as the terrifying appearance of the Iron Guard and the emergence of yet another enemy power, the Council took a very long time to make up its mind. Eventually, after three days of near-constant debating, Honorary Councillor Luna made their decision for them.

In the paraphrased words of one of the Council’s guards, who witnessed the event, Honorary Councillor Luna approached the Iron Guard messengers (who, in their enhanced armour, actually stood taller than the alicorn) and informed them that the War Council had rejected their offer. She them told them, in no uncertain terms, where they could “shove it” – ‘it’, of course, being their offer. Offended and somewhat confused, the Iron Guard squad left and reported back to Ambassador-General Doctrinaire that Luna and the entire Council had been infected with Discordianism.

As a result of all this, fifteen or so days later, the World Empire declared war on all three opposing factions. However, it would be some time before Imperial forces were in direct conflict with any of their new enemies.

The Capture of Vanhoover

Thanks to the negotiations with the World Empire, the war had slowed down significantly since their arrival and, after the negotiations failed, took a while to start up again; the result of a particularly harsh winter. While the forces of Old Equestria merely fortified themselves further inside their cities, the New Lunar Republic used the winter months to reorganise their forces, reinforcing those troops (ineffectually) besieging the Old Equestrian cities, and sending more soldiers to the areas near to the Griffon Kingdoms’ and the World Empire’s forces. They also began distributing larger numbers of Multibeam and Type 3 Starbeam rifles to their troops, in preparation for the anticipated renewal of hostilities.

The Griffon Kingdoms advanced their troops into some of the towns and villages surrounding Manehatten, but then stopped for the winter. They spent most the winter months building up their forces and making sure that enough supplies were coming in by sea to stop them from starving. The World Empire meanwhile took over the direct day-to-day running of the area around Horseshoe Bay; according to Imperial figures, they improved production in all areas by 200% and ensured that every civilian received an equal share of food (equivalent in quantity to the rations given to Imperial soldiers). It is unknown exactly how successful this was, but there are no accounts of any ponies dying of starvation, so we must assume that, for the locals, the first months of Imperial occupation were not wholly negative.

Unlike the other factions however, Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings were not idle. Although there are no sources recorded by the Changelings themselves – for obvious reasons – it is likely that, since their failed raid in 1037LB, the Changelings had been building up their forces at an increasingly high rate. Queen Chrysalis seems to have re-evaluated her priorities, and possibly her motives as well. Rather than targeting the increasingly heavily-defended town of Ponyville, she instead switched her sights to a much larger target – the city of Vanhoover – presumably because of the city’s large population and close proximity to the forests in which the Changelings lived.

These facts were utterly unknown to the ponies of Equestria and the various warring factions, until, in the middle of winter 1039LB, a truly gigantic force of Changelings burst out of Equestria’s forests without warning and invaded Vanhoover. There are no accurate records of the Changeling’s exact numbers in this attack – only garbled accounts of “the sky turning black with their numbers” and of “Royal Guard units… outnumbered ten-to-one” – but modern historians have put their number at somewhere between 100,000 and 140,000. Due to accounts of more Changelings entering the city after the battle, the total number is likely to have been much higher.

Vanhoover had successfully resisted the Republican forces’ inept besiegement of the place since 1037LB, but the Old Equestrian forces occupying the city were taken completely by surprise by the all-aerial Changeling assault. Mass aerial assaults are usually discounted by equine commanders due to the massive casualties the assaulting force inevitably suffers (there being no cover from ranged weapons in the air) and the inability of said force to bring in heavy weaponry; but this was of no concern to the Changelings. Concentrated beam- and arrow-fire “brought down hundreds” of the attackers, but such losses were easily ignored by the innumerable armies of the Changeling Swarm. They swiftly broke through the city’s magical defences – none of the sources are quite clear on how they did this, so we must assume it was through sheer force of numbers – and began the battle proper.

Under the direction of Queen Chrysalis herself (at least, according to eyewitnesses; while it may simply have been one of the Swarm Commander caste, Chrysalis’ presence at the battle is not impossible), the Swarm descended on all areas of Vanhoover at once, apparently devoid of any tactics other than ‘overwhelm through numbers’. Although the plan was crude, it was undoubtedly effective. Under the command of General Glimmer, the small defensive force that had been holding the city in the name of Princess Celestia totalled barely 16,000; sufficient to see off the revolutionary force besieging them, but nowhere near enough to fight off the Changeling assault.

Having taken up position on the tallest buildings of Vanhoover, in order that they might have the best line-of-sight to any invading Republicans, the Solar Disciples present in Vanhoover were amongst the first to be overwhelmed. Although there are accounts of “blinding blasts” of magical energy from the rooftops – indications that they at least had time to respond to the invasion – the numbers of Changelings killed by the unicorns were, again, so small as to be inconsequential. The Solar Disciples therefore played only a minor part in this battle.

With his army under attack from every direction at once, and with more of his units separated from the main force and overwhelmed every second, General Glimmer ordered a full-scale retreat from the city. His army was so divided by the attack, however, that the message did not get out to every officer; many individual units and even larger formations of Royal Guard found themselves fighting against overwhelming odds without any support, and under attack from positions they thought were secure. General Glimmer and whatever soldiers he could gather (along with a small number of civilians) fought their way “through a river of ichor” to reach the main gates of Vanhoover.

The besieging Republic force – led by recently-promoted mare, General Shimmer – had watched the Changeling assault from afar with growing trepidation. They’d already sent off a message to the War Council, and were awaiting their orders on what to do next, when General Shimmer spotted the “unbreakable” gates of Vanhoover swinging open, and a small number of their previous opponents fleeing the city.

Fortunately for both the Republican and the surviving Old Equestrian forces, the Changelings did not follow. The reason most generally agreed-upon for this is that Queen Chrysalis had ordered her army to focus on capturing the city and enslaving its inhabitants, rather than to defeat the armed forces there. General Glimmer and the other surviving soldiers (approximately 721 Royal Guardsponies, including the General, but not including any Solar Disciples) immediately surrendered themselves to the revolutionaries, on the condition that the Republican force immediately took them away from Vanhoover.

Seeing still more Changelings pouring into the already-overrun city, General Shimmer agreed. She ordered the prisoners’ weapons and armour to be taken from them and distributed amongst her soldiers (possibly in an attempt to boost morale) and the whole Republic force (numbering around 10,000, but actual estimates vary), without waiting from orders from the Council, retreated to the nearby town of Tall Tale.

Still trapped in Vanhoover were approximately 90,000 defenceless civilians, utterly at the mercy of the Changeling Swarm. It is from the records left behind by the lucky few who survived the occupation of Vanhoover (and sometimes those who didn’t survive), that we in the modern world have gained much of our knowledge about Changeling behaviour and ‘society’ from this time.

Battle for Tall Tale

The under-strength Republic army that had retreated from Vanhoover reached Tall Tale early the next day, and rendezvoused with the local defenders (who had an approximate strength of 4-5,000 revolutionaries). Despite the common portrayal in popular media of these ponies thinking that they were now safe from Changeling attack, in actuality General Shimmer is recorded as telling her soldiers not to be complacent, and to “prepare to face the hordes”.

Historians have long assumed that the New Lunar Republic forces must have prepared some kind of defences, but until very recently, General Shimmer’s exact battle-plan was completely unknown. A recently-discovered amateur report by a local pony, who (perhaps unwisely) decided to stay behind and watch the battle, rather than be evacuated along with the other civilians, gives a vital insight into how the Republic’s forces were deployed.

It seems that Shimmer decided to take advantage of Tall Tale’s natural height and many tall buildings (believed by most modern historians to have been constructed due to the town’s name, rather than the other way around). As opposed to consolidating her forces in one small area to try to negate the Changeling’s numerical advantage – which, Shimmer appears to have realised, wouldn’t have worked anyway – the Republican general stationed her troops in an extremely spread out manner, installing one or two soldiers in every room of every block of flats in the town, with higher concentrations of troops further towards the centre. While this would have been almost tactical suicide against a well-organized army, versus the disorderly Changeling Swarm (who would attack on all fronts at once) it ensured that each revolutionary would effectively be fighting one-on-one against the attacking Changelings.

This principle of defending on the same level as a larger assaulting force was attacking (known colloquially as the ‘Equal-Hoofing’ strategy), rather than concentrating the defensive forces in a small area, is known to have been a technique taught in the Royal Guard schools of Canterlot. Since there is no record of General Shimmer having had any Old-Equestria-style military training, some historians believe that she was in fact taking the advice of the captured General Glimmer. This in turn has led to rumours of Royal Guard soldiers being temporarily released and re-equipped in order to help fight in the upcoming battle against the two factions’ common foe – but, since there is no solid evidence for this, these old rumours must thus remain tales of poetic fancy, rather than actual history.

The Changeling assault did not come immediately, but General Shimmer was right to have prepared her troops immediately. Just as the sun was setting, a Changeling force of approximately 40,000 appeared on the horizon, flying towards Tall Tale. Upon seeing this, the General immediately ordered her ponies to prepare for the assault.

The actual events of the battle are difficult to describe, as it appears that there simply weren’t many. The Changelings began the attack in what was to become their typical fashion – attacking from every direction at once in a buzzing mass, seeking to overwhelm small groups of enemies with large numbers of their own soldiers – but, undoubtedly to the Changelings’ surprise, the soldiers of the Republic held out. Equipped with a mix of Type 3 Starbeam rifles (which, modern tests have shown, could quite easily have punched straight through a Changeling warrior with enough force to injure or kill the one behind it) and the occasional Multibeam rifle (perfectly designed for eliminating large numbers of lightly-armoured enemies), each individual Republican soldier was more than a match for his or her Changeling counterpart.

Thanks to this advantage in weapons technology, and the cramped confines of the buildings in which the revolutionaries chose to fight, the forces of the Republic successfully held back a Changeling force that outnumbered them almost five-to-one.

By the time the sun rose the following morning, 6,800 of the original 14-15,000 Republican troops had been killed or seriously injured. Despite what various films have depicted, the evidence clearly states that the Changelings retreated long before the sun rose, and that General Shimmer was only able to count her army’s losses once daylight had come (hence the common misconception). Although contemporary sources are not very clear on the matter, modern estimates put the Changelings’ losses at around 30-35,000. Since Changelings have often been recorded as not giving up a battle until they are almost out of warriors to fight with, this seems to be a reasonable guess.

Despite her victory, General Shimmer realised that she could not maintain her hold on Tall Tale without calling in significant numbers of reinforcements – and, inevitably, the Changelings would strike again, and in greater numbers. She therefore made the decision to withdraw her forces from the town, along with all the remaining civilians but not, strangely, the captured Royal Guard. It is generally agreed that either the prisoners were killed during the battle, or they managed to escape while their captors were distracted; there are sources that seem to support both arguments. Proponents of the informally-named ‘Equestrian Team-Up’ theory often put forward the idea that General Glimmer and his troops were released by the Revolutionaries after the battle, but this lacks evidence, and the absence of General Glimmer from any subsequent records suggests that he at least must have been killed in the fighting.

Making the decision to withdraw, General Shimmer abandoned the empty city to the Changelings and returned, with all due haste, back to the War Council to give a personal account of what transpired. Many of the soldiers who fought at Tall Tale were promoted for their bravery – Shimmer herself received a medal – and, when put in charge of fresh units, these veterans would become instrumental in later battles against the Changeling Swarm.